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Category Archives: Recipes

Grilled Eggplant and Chicken Pitas with Tzatziki RecipePIN

One day when we were Paris we grabbed our maps and slipped out of our apartment for an adventure. We had a huge list of places to eat with L’As Du Fallafel somewhere in the middle of the page titled, “The Best of Paris”. The list was made for us by our good friend Bill who loves food as much as, if not more than we do. He lived in Paris for years and undoubtably/enviably ate his way across the incredible city. We got off the metro and walked through the bumpy streets of Marais, until we spotted the bright, colorful restaurant. Then we stood in a long line on a warm fall day and, when it was our turn, ordered pitas stuffed with the most insanely delicious eggplant, red cabbage, and tahini. There’s never any seating so you just take your fallefel and walk until you find a park bench or a curb then you sit down and savor every bite. When you’re finished licking your fingers you only wish you had room to eat another.

I wouldn’t call this recipe a replication of that amazing fallafel, but it holds us over in between trips to Paris. The eggplant is marinated in lots of olive oil and smoked paprika and the tzatziki is flavorful and has a little bite. We devour these hot or cold, for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They remind me just a tiny bit of Paris.

PITAS WITH GRILLED EGGPLANT AND TZATZIKI

Ingredients for Pitas:.
pita bread
feta cheese
1 large eggplant, cut into large chunks
1/2 red cabbage, cut into shreds
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 lemon, zested
1 teaspoon fresh dill, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
smoked paprika
dried oregano
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
kosher salt

Ingredients for Tzatziki.
1 large slice red onion
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon fresh dill, minced
1 lemon, zested
juice from 1/2 lemon
3/4 cucumber, zested and water squeezed out
kosher salt

Directions.
Place the chicken in a large bowl with olive oil, a large pinch of salt and pepper, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, the dill, lemon zest, and 1 garlic clove. Toss to coat and set aside.

Place the eggplant in a large bowl with a large pinch of salt and pepper, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, dried parsley, 2 garlic cloves. Drizzle in 1/4 cup of olive oil. Toss and add more olive oil until the eggplant is pretty saturated. Set aside.

To make the tzatziki place all of the ingredients except for the cucumber in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Transfer to a bowl and toss in the cucumber. Mix together and set aside.

Heat up the grill on medium high. Grill the chicken and eggplant directly on the grill. For the eggplant, gently toss and turn periodically until it’s nice and dark in color, remove from the grill. For the chicken turn once, check to be sure it’s cooked through and remove from the grill.

Fill your pitas with the chicken, eggplant, cabbage, feta cheese and tzatziki. Enjoy!

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
PITAS WITH GRILLED EGGPLANT AND TZATZIKI

Having a Hot Toddy on a chilly evening is one of the things about fall, winter, and spring that I look forward to. There is something about curling up on the couch with a sweet, spicy Hot Toddy and a good movie or book that I just love. I have been making this Hot Toddy with Ginger for years. I always have the ingredients on hand, in case the weather calls for it.

Hot Toddy with GingerPIN

 

HOT TODDY WITH GINGER

Ingredients.
Boiling water
1 thin lemon slice
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 cinnamon stick
2 slices fresh ginger, peeled
pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2-2oz bourbon or whiskey (I love Maker’s Mark)

Directions.
Pour the lemon juice and honey into a glass along with the ginger slices. Pour boiling water into glass until it’s halfway full. Stir until the honey is dissolved. Toss in the cinnamon stick, grate in a pinch of nutmeg. Add about 2oz of bourbon (adjust to taste). Stir. Top with a lemon slice. Enjoy.

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
HOT TODDY WITH GINGER

ROASTED CARROTS WITH A BALSAMIC AND MAPLE SYRUP REDUCTIONPIN

Around here the root vegetables are bursting from the still-warm-from-summer-soil. I chose to prepare a delicious dish with carrots to share with you. In the fall I love roasting them in the oven with a bit of dijon and maple syrup. Roasting carrots brings out their sweetness which is enhanced with a balsamic reduction in this recipe. You can pick carrots from your garden or find them at the local farmers’ market. I used both orange and purple in the recipe but use whatever you can find that looks fresh and colorful. Happy cooking.



ROASTED CARROTS WITH A BALSAMIC AND MAPLE SYRUP REDUCTION

Ingredients.
2 lbs organic carrots
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. dijon mustard
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. real maple syrup
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
chevre (goat cheese)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions.
Wash and trim the tips and tops off your carrots. Halve smaller carrots, quarter larger carrots so they are uniform in size. Place in a large bowl.

Whip together 2 tablespoons maple syrup, the dijon mustard and extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over the carrots. Season with the salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Dump the contents of the bowl onto a large cookie sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil.

Place the carrots in a cold oven, then turn it to 425ºF. Toss and flip the carrots every 10 minutes until they are vibrant and caramelized. About 30 minutes.

Meanwhile combine the 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup of maple syrup in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until it has reduced to 2/3 cup. About 10 minutes.

Remove the carrots from the oven and transfer to a serving dish. Drizzle the carrots with the balsamic reduction and, using your fingers to break it up, sprinkle with a couple tablespoons of the goat cheese. Serve immediately with the extra balsamic reduction on the side for those who wish to add more.

 

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
ROASTED CARROTS 
with a Balsamic and Syrup Reduction

ROASTED CARROTS WITH A BALSAMIC AND MAPLE SYRUP REDUCTIONPIN

ROASTED CARROTS WITH A BALSAMIC AND MAPLE SYRUP REDUCTIONPINROASTED CARROTS WITH A BALSAMIC AND MAPLE SYRUP REDUCTIONPIN

Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone and Peach Simple SyrupPIN

This time of year is my favorite. The mornings are chilly enough for scarves, the evenings are warm enough for bare feet on the pavement. We are in the perfect window where you can snuggle up at night in your down comforter, in your flannel pajamas, but still leave the window cracked just a little bit. Things around here since we returned home from out trip have been nice. We are taking lots of time to get things organized, cleaned up, on a better schedule, etc. Kyle has had to buckle down on his studies in the evenings so I’ve been sipping wine and watching movies. This time of year feels like the time to focus and prioritize. Summers are always so busy and fun, but I love sinking into the fall with it’s windy days and rainy mornings. These past few evenings have felt like summer and we’ve been grilling veggies, eating heirloom tomatoes, and going for walks with our neighbors. I don’t know about where you live, but here the stone fruits are all ripe. In these late summer evenings making grilled peaches for dessert is my favorite thing. They’re simple to make and taste like the sweetest part of summer. They’re fresh, light, rich, delicate, sweet and smoky. They are the kind of dessert that begs you to savor every mouthful.

GRILLED PEACHESPIN

GRILLED PEACHES WITH MASCARPONE AND PEACH SYRUP

Ingredients.
4 ripe peaches, halved, stone removed
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
mint to garnish

Directions.
Place the halved peaches in a large bowl. In a saucepan bring the water to a simmer before stirring in the sugar. Allow to dissolve and return to a simmer before pouring the syrup over the peach halves. Marinate the peaches in the syrup for at least an hour or until the syrup has cooled to room temperature, you want the peaches to really give the syrup a rich flavor.

Heat the grill to medium-high. Transfer the peaches to a plate. Return the syrup to the saucepan. Place the peaches on the grill for 5-7 minutes per side, leaving the grill uncovered. Check occasionally to be sure they aren’t burning. Meanwhile, bring the syrup to a boil and allow to reduce to 1 1/2 cup. Remove the peaches from the grill and pour the syrup into a dish to cool.

In a chilled bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream. Once it’s well whipped, add in the mascarpone cheese and whip for a moment to combine.

Divide the peaches onto plates with the beautiful grilled centers facing up. Scoop a large spoonful (or two) of the whipped cream onto the plate. Drizzle with as much peach syrup as desired. Garnish with a little mint. Enjoy immediately.

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
GRILLED PEACHES with Mascarpone and Peach Syrup

Another cooking video to share. This time for one of my very favorite meals, Penne with Roasted Butternut Squash, Goat Cheese and Prosciutto!

PENNE WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH, GOAT CHEESE AND PROSCIUTTO

Ingredients.
1 large butternut squash, peeled, cored, cut into chunks
1 large red onion, peeled, cut into chunks
10-12 garlic cloves, paper on
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lb Penne or Trenne pasta
1 cup reserved pasta water
5 oz. goat cheese
10 slices prosciutto or speck, torn
handful basil, cut into thin strips
honey
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Toss the squash, onion and garlic in a large bowl with the olive oil, 1 1/2 tsps kosher salt and 1 tsp pepper. Transfer to a large cookie sheet and roast, tossing every 20 minutes, for 1 hour or until caramelized. Allow to cool.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously. Cook the pasta until al dente, reserve 1 cup pasta water, drain, transfer to a large bowl. To the pasta, add the goat cheese and a splash of the pasta water. Stir until the pasta is coated with the cheese, adding pasta water as needed to thin.

Peel the skins off the garlic cloves. Transfer the peeled garlic, squash, and onion to the bowl with the pasta and toss gently to mix. Top with prosciutto and basil. Drizzle with honey. Enjoy.

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
PENNE WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH, GOAT CHEESE AND PROSCIUTTO

Penne with Roasted Butternut Squash, Proscuitto and Goat Cheese RecipePIN